Trail Walk with Loretta Rose, Manager and Naturalist at the George F Canyon Preserve & Nature Center

by Amy Jaecker-Jones

On this warm and sunny day in February, students in the California Naturalist Program were led on a walk by Loretta Rose, Manager and Naturalist at the George F Canyon Preserve & Nature Center. Located in the city of Rolling Hills Estates, George F Canyon is operated by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. A stream, partly fed by underground springs, flows through the property seasonally. Spur trails connect the canyon to 96 additional miles of walking trails on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Before it became part of the mainland, the Palos Verdes Peninsula was one of the Channel Islands. As such, it shares much of its ecology with nearby Catalina Island. Because of its shape, which is something like the back of a turtle, one can easily imagine it surrounded by water. The bedrock in this area is Catalina schist, a hard, metamorphic rock that appears blue-gray, green, or purple when wet. Although Catalina schist lies under the entire Los Angeles basin, it is only exposed at the surface in two locations - Catalina Island and George F Canyon. The relative rarity of visible Catalina schist makes George F Canyon an important natural history site and a must-see for geology lovers.

Catalina Schist

As we walked, Loretta described some of the challenges of land management. When the city of Rolling Hills Estates turned over operation of the canyon to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, the area was landscaped more like a park. Under the Conservancy's leadership, native plant communities were restored. Despite the renewed presence of native plants, certain non-native varieties such as castor oil plant, eucalyptus, Brazilian pepper, Italian milk thistle, and Algerian ivy still survive.

Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis)

Recently 65 California fan palms were removed; all of them were over 50 feet tall. Although native to California, the fan palm was not historically found on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It arrived at George F Canyon via bird and has proved to grow quite successfully. At this time, the canyon is not yet free of California fan palms. The question of whether or not more California palm trees should be removed proves just how nuanced the issue of native versus non-native plants can be. As Loretta told the class, "If you see something that looks really different from the environment around you, it probably is." California fan palms do tend to stick out visually, and they compete with native trees and shrubs for water. However, they also provide good nesting sites for orioles. And, as one member of the class suggested, "If birds [rather than humans] are bringing the seeds in, haven't they become natural?" As long as birds continue to bring seeds to George F Canyon the presence of the California fan palm will probably continue, as will the effort to curb its growth.

Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis)

Loretta preferred to remain positive, however. She pointed out examples of mature Arroyo willow trees lining the stream. Tufts of white floated through the air around us and bees hummed busily at the trees' yellow flowers. Not much farther down the trail, the buzzing increased, signalling the presence of a wild hive off to the side. Following recent rains, native plant life was lush and abundant. Loretta held up a trailing vine, which is found quite commonly in California. The wild cucumber, also known as, "marah," or "man-root," is California's only non-woody native vine. Small white flowers in early spring, soon give way to large, green, spiky fruit. Other flowering native plants included Arroyo lupine, California poppies, Canyon sweet pea, bladderpod, lemonadeberry, and California bush sunflower.

Loretta Rose Shows Wild Cucumber (Marah macrocarpa)

In addition to its geology and plant life, George F Canyon, also has an interesting history. The 36-acre parcel, once owned by the Stein and Hale families, was given to the city of Rolling Hills Estates in 1982. When donating, the two families asked that the canyon be named something other than Stein or Hale (although the current nature trail bears both names). The city then began the work of selecting an appropriate name. According to Loretta, different names were being considered before an elderly gentleman walked into a meeting carrying an old map. Written on the map, above the canyon's location was, "George F Canyon." As written, there was no period following the "F" and no indication of what the initial stood for, or who George F might be. The committee felt the name was appropriate, however, and designated the new park as George F Canyon. Over the years, many have tried to unveil the identity of the mysterious George. An article from the Los Angeles Times in May of 1996, presented several theories, among them that he might, in fact, have been George H. Bixby. Known well to residents of the South Bay, George H. Bixby was a prominent landowner in the early 1900s. There is no indication that Mr. Bixby is the George mentioned on the old map, and the Times also suggests San Pedro butcher George Vickery and Wilmington contractor George Oden as possibilities. We may never know the answer to the question of George F's identity, but can still enjoy the canyon that bears his name.



More images from the field trip to George F Canyon may be found on Flickr at the following link:

George F Canyon Photos 

Visit George F Canyon in person, or by going to the following link:

Visit George F Canyon Preserve & Nature Center

27305 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates CA 90274

(310) 547-0862

the Nature Center is open Friday 1pm - 4pm

 Saturday and Sunday 10am - 4pm

other days by appointment

References:

Johnson, Tracy. 1996. "Curious George: Nature Center Takes Title from Canyon's Enigmatic Namesake." Los Angeles Times, May 31. http://articles.latimes.com/1996-05-31/local/me-10457_1_nature-centerhttp://articles.latimes.com/1996-05-31/local/me-10457_1_nature-center

Rose, Loretta (nature walk, George F Canyon, Rolling Hills Estates, CA, February 21, 2015)